4 Basic Things Your Orchid Wants
Many people new to orchid gardening find it unexpectedly easy, you really don't have to have lots of gardening experience. Everything you need to know can be picked up as you go along. Of course some people also find that their orchid simply will not bloom or even worse dies and they don't know why.
You can avoid the pitfalls many of us have fallen into, including myself, by starting out with one of the easier varieties of orchids. This is going to give you more opportunity to learn as you go and give you more room to make those simple mistakes we all make.
The last thing I want is for you to be put off gardening orchids early on by a bad experience, as I know how much enjoyment myself and others get out of it and I know you will too.
Finding the perfect orchid for you
There are some orchid varieties that can be very temperamental, in fact some are difficult for even seasoned experts to bloom. So we want to avoid these to begin with at all costs. Oncidium, Phalaenopsis, Paphiopedilum and Dendrobium are all families of orchids that are considered to be easy to grow. They require the same basics as every other orchid variety but are a little more forgiving if you don't get it quite right first time.
What your orchid wants
1) Water
Providing your orchid with the correct amount of water is a tricky area, there are no hard and fast rules. It depends on many factors including the species of orchid you're gardening, the potting medium it's growing in (if it's potted of course), as well as the type of container it's grown in and the surrounding temperature and humidity.
A good rule of thumb though is to only water once the roots or potting media are dry or nearly dry. You can check this fairly easily if you use a stake or a label in your pot. Pull the stake or label out and check to see if the end is dry to the touch. If it is you're probably good to go.
Some species will grow pseudobulbs which allow them to store water and nutrients to be supplied to your orchid over time. A survival mechanism they've developed to cope with prolonged absence of water. These species will require less frequent watering from you than those without.
2) Light
Again this factor varies dependent upon your species of orchid, but the majority of orchids are fairly light hungry. They will enjoy long periods of shaded or diffused daylight, 10 to 12 hours in some cases, about the same as summer time daylight hours in a temperate region.
If you are growing your orchids indoors, placing your orchids near a eastern or western facing window should allow you to make the most use of the natural daylight without exposing them to too much strong midday sun.
If your growing your orchids in your garden try to make use of the natural shade provided by plants or structures. If you're struggling to provide enough light for your orchid you could invest in some grow lights to enhance the length of available light.
3) Fertilizer
This will be largely down to the type and quality of water and the species of orchid. Some potting mediums may also have an impact on how you feed your orchid too. Fir bark for example contains bacteria which will leech nitrogen from the water and potting media, so you should use a fertilizer with a higher nitrogen content to compensate for this.
4) Air
Orchids are largely epiphytic, although there are still many terrestrial species, which means that they grow above ground nestled on trees and branches. Their roots remain exposed to the air and are specially adapted to absorb moisture this way.
You can recreate these conditions in your home or garden by either mounting your orchid or using a potting medium. Potting mediums are course loose materials supplied in different grades of either natural or man made materials. Of course it's important that you supply your orchid with a potting mix suitable to it's requirements but the principal remains the same. The mix should allow for good drainage and air flow.
Happy orchid growing!
For more information, you can visit his website at http://www.orchidgrowingcentre.com/ more more tips and info on orchids and orchid gardening
Finding the perfect orchid for you
There are some orchid varieties that can be very temperamental, in fact some are difficult for even seasoned experts to bloom. So we want to avoid these to begin with at all costs. Oncidium, Phalaenopsis, Paphiopedilum and Dendrobium are all families of orchids that are considered to be easy to grow. They require the same basics as every other orchid variety but are a little more forgiving if you don't get it quite right first time.
What your orchid wants
1) Water
Providing your orchid with the correct amount of water is a tricky area, there are no hard and fast rules. It depends on many factors including the species of orchid you're gardening, the potting medium it's growing in (if it's potted of course), as well as the type of container it's grown in and the surrounding temperature and humidity.
A good rule of thumb though is to only water once the roots or potting media are dry or nearly dry. You can check this fairly easily if you use a stake or a label in your pot. Pull the stake or label out and check to see if the end is dry to the touch. If it is you're probably good to go.
Some species will grow pseudobulbs which allow them to store water and nutrients to be supplied to your orchid over time. A survival mechanism they've developed to cope with prolonged absence of water. These species will require less frequent watering from you than those without.
2) Light
Again this factor varies dependent upon your species of orchid, but the majority of orchids are fairly light hungry. They will enjoy long periods of shaded or diffused daylight, 10 to 12 hours in some cases, about the same as summer time daylight hours in a temperate region.
If you are growing your orchids indoors, placing your orchids near a eastern or western facing window should allow you to make the most use of the natural daylight without exposing them to too much strong midday sun.
If your growing your orchids in your garden try to make use of the natural shade provided by plants or structures. If you're struggling to provide enough light for your orchid you could invest in some grow lights to enhance the length of available light.
3) Fertilizer
This will be largely down to the type and quality of water and the species of orchid. Some potting mediums may also have an impact on how you feed your orchid too. Fir bark for example contains bacteria which will leech nitrogen from the water and potting media, so you should use a fertilizer with a higher nitrogen content to compensate for this.
4) Air
Orchids are largely epiphytic, although there are still many terrestrial species, which means that they grow above ground nestled on trees and branches. Their roots remain exposed to the air and are specially adapted to absorb moisture this way.
You can recreate these conditions in your home or garden by either mounting your orchid or using a potting medium. Potting mediums are course loose materials supplied in different grades of either natural or man made materials. Of course it's important that you supply your orchid with a potting mix suitable to it's requirements but the principal remains the same. The mix should allow for good drainage and air flow.
Happy orchid growing!
For more information, you can visit his website at http://www.orchidgrowingcentre.com/ more more tips and info on orchids and orchid gardening
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